Beyond the Veil
by Anlynne
Summary: Lily Potter waited seventeen years for him to come home, to be reunited with her childhood friend, the man who carried a piece of her to make her whole.


A/N: This story is Kamarile Sedai's idea (also known as "the amrylin seat"). Not mine. Somehow in our debate of her writing it I ended up agreeing I would. I still don't know how that happened, but this was a captivating idea and I'm glad I went through with it. The idea fully belongs to Kammy so any praises for it should be directed to her.

Beyond the Veil

Death was peaceful, it was quick and painless. In a place more beautiful than anything she could imagine she was happy. James and Lily Potter looked upon their precious son Harry, the light of their eyes. They witnessed the pain and triumph. They were proud, even though it wasn't the life they wanted for him. It was unfair how one despicable creature could land him in an undeserving life.

Lily watched as he lived with her unjust sister, her sister's unethical husband, and their bullying son. She watched as he had to wear Dudley's old and overly-large clothes, and the torment he continued to face at school. Under the peacefulness was anguish for him. As a mother she wanted to take away his pain. It wasn't the life he was supposed to have.

There was no doubt that Harry would be magical. No doubt at all in their minds that he would obtained his Hogwart's letter. James smiled when he received his acceptance letter for Hogwarts and he beamed when he was announced by the Sorting Hat to be in Gryffindor. He said it was obvious, that there was not a way in the world that Harry couldn't have been Gryffindor like them. Lily agreed. Their son was certainly the bravest they'd ever envisioned possible. Of course, he was their son after all.

Two faced professors, baskalisks, horcruxes, and the ultimate danger: Voldemort. So many times Lily thought that they would see their son sooner than she wished for. She wanted him to live a full life, not one where there was constant danger. Her and James risked their lives daily to prevent that. They served a cause.

Lily observed her childhood friend. The triple spy keeping her son alive for her memory, for the perfectly matched green eyes Harry shared with her. As much gratitude as her and James felt it didn't cease the disappointment for his bitterness. He brought it on himself, that day so long ago on the grounds of Hogwarts when he called her a mudblood, the discriminating term used for Muggle-borns. She never forgave him for that and she felt no remorse for her decision to cut him out of her life as he became a Death Eater, he filled his thin desire to become what hated her most.

He loved her. That much was clear. It was clear when he turned to Dumbledore betraying the mark on his arm, his tears, taking her picture and the last part of her letter she wrote to Sirius. He never dated, never took an interest in anyone. He lived to make up for his past mistakes. He loved her more than his own life and she never even knew. What would it have changed? He waited too long, but it was his repentance, protecting her son, half of what he loved and half of what he hated.

Severus was a man who loathed James with every fiber of his being with good reason. James was terrible to him. It was to him that she defended Severus but Severus' pride got in the way, the influence his Slytherin friends had on him. With one word their friendship died. He may have been in Slytherin, ,a rival to her Gryffindor house, but he was her best friend. She never truly recovered from the damage he did that day. It was then as she spied that she truly forgave him. Her best friend...

In the Whomping Willow stood him and Voldemort. She remembered that glint in Voldemort's blood red eyes that was set in his pale snake-like face. It was the last thing she'd seen with her human eyes. She remembered the pure and undying white glow after the inescapable flash of green. She knew that Severus was going to die and so she left James' side and waited in front of the archway for him.

It was hard to watch the snake glide towards him and sink its fangs into his neck. There was so much blood, it stained the walls, the floors, his black robe. Harry who had seen it all in the connection of his and Voldemort's mind came up when the slayer and his minion had gone. He knelt at his professors head and Severus bled more than blood, he bled memories. Her son... Her dear son would soon know everything. Severus grabbed the front of his robes and demanded that he look at him, he stared into his eyes, the eyes that Lily gave to Harry, and then, he died.

Lily steadied herself as she waited for her friend, because yes, he was her friend, and she owed him everything.

James took a step forward to join her but she raised her hand to signal him to stay. The confrontation that was about to take place was between two old friends who needed closure, even if it had to wait twenty-six years to happen.

The misty cloud in the archway formed the shape of a thin, hooked nose man. The stature moved slowly, cautiously, as if it was confused. When the haze faded from his figure revealed him, his greasy black hair and all. He appeared to be surprised at what greeted him, the beautiful land, a meadow of yellow and purple flowers, the bright clear blue sky without a hint of cloud.

Lily smiled, she couldn't help herself. She missed him, and it was like a reunion of her heart. He brought the rest home and she was finally in one whole piece.

Severus paused just inside of the realm as he spotted her. He turned solemn and fearful but he gazed at her hungrily, drinking in her features. He raked over her, his breath escalating. A tear escaped his eyes.

She closed the distance and caught the drop on her thumb, cupping his cheek. There was only two things that needed to be said. "I forgive you. Thank you."

His tears fell faster, silently. "You forgive me?"

"You helped my son."

He nodded mutely.

She was wrong, there was one more thing that must be said. It was the most important. "I love you, Sev."

He sobbed and embraced her. In a broken confession he told her that he loved her too, had always loved her, how much he'd missed her. Unable to speak she held him tighter hoping to convey what her voice wasn't allowing her to say.

The shattered pieces of her heart that never completely healed did so then. She linked her hand with his, and as they walked by James gave a grateful jerk of his head that Severus slowly returned.

They walked on. Together.


End file.
